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Ultraman
is the second installment of the Ultra Series. Produced by Tsuburaya Productions and TBS, it was broadcast from July 17, 1966 to April 9, 1967, every Sunday at 19:00 on TBS, with a total of 39 episodes (40, if counting the pre-premiere special that aired on July 10, 1966). Although Ultraman is the first series to feature an Ultra Crusader, it is actually the second show in the franchise. Ultra Q was the first. In fact, Ultraman opens with the Ultra Q logo exploding into the Ultraman logo. Ultraman became a major pop culture phenomenon in Japan, spawning dozens of sequels, spin-offs, imitators, parodies and remakes. To distinguish him from subsequent Ultra Crusaders, Ultraman is referred to as , First Ultraman, or Ultraman Hayata; this last is a reference to his host's surname. Series background Ultraman's central characters were created by Eiji Tsuburaya from Tsuburaya Productions, a pioneer in special effects who was responsible for bringing Godzilla to life in 1954. The show's predecessor was a series called Ultra Q, a 28-episode series very much like the original . The Ultraman project had the following working titles/plots: * : This story featured a corporeal space creature with two large eyes, who befriended a reporter named Joji Akita, but the , who perceived the alien as a threat, went after them. This was basically the monster version of the British science fiction series (1963), and Woo's personality was also to be comical. The name "Woo" ended up being used for an otherwise unrelated, yeti-like monster, in episode 30 of Ultraman. Later, Tsuburaya Productions would ultimately produce a series dubbed , in January 2006, but this series is very loosely based on the original concept. * , then retitled : The main characters are a defense force, with the same Japanese name as the Science Special Search Party (often dubbed as the "Science Patrol"), but disguised as an art/photography team. One of the members, unknown to anyone (even his teammates), gained the ability to transform into a giant birdlike humanoid monster called Bemlar (not the same Bemlar that Ultraman would fight in Episode # 1 of the actual series), who defends Earth from monsters, aliens and other threats. Unlike Woo, Bemlar was a tough and righteous fighter, and he looked very similar in design to the title monster of the 1967 film, . Allegedly, the plot was scrapped when it was worried audiences might have trouble telling that one monster was good and the other evil. * : The title hero of this project slightly resembled Ultraman as he came to be known, but he looked more demonic and had horns. He came to Earth after his planet was destroyed by aliens from (Ultraseven also shared this working title). Both Bemlar and Redman were designed by Toru Narita, who also came up with the final design for Ultraman based on his Redman design, now resembling a less-scary -style alien being, mixed with a bit of the iconic " ". The characteristic "Color Timer," more familiar to American audiences as the "warning light" on Ultraman's chest, was added at the eleventh hour. Plot The first series begins when a member of the Science Special Search Party named Shin Hayata is flying his plane and a red sphere of light crashes into his Mini-VTOL. The sphere turns out to be the transport (Travel Sphere) for a giant red-and-silver being who calls himself Ultraman. Feeling remorse for having killed the human, he merges his essence with Hayata to save him. In return, Hayata serves as the human host for this being, and whenever danger threatens, and the resources of the Science Special Search Party are not enough to counter it, he raises and activates a power-object and artifact called "Beta Capsule" and transforms to Ultraman to save the day. Characters Ultras Science Special Search Party *Toshio Muramatsu *Daisuke Arashi *Mitsuhiro Ide *Akiko Fuji *Isamu Hoshino Allies *Professor Iwamoto Monsters & Aliens *Bemlar (1) *Alien Baltan (2) **Alien Baltan II (16) **Alien Baltan III (33) *Neronga (3) *Ragon (Giant; 4) *Greenmons (5) *Gesura (6) *Antlar (7) *Red King (8) **Red King II (25) *Chandrah (8) *Magular (8) *Suflan (8, 26) *Pigmon (8) **Re-Pigmon (37) *Gabora (9) *Jirass (10) *Gyango (11) *Dodongo (12) *Mummy Human (12) *Pestar (13) *Gamakujira (14) *Gabadon (15) *Bullton (17) *Alien Zarab (18) **Fake Ultraman (18) **Alien Zarab II (33) *Aboras (19) *Banila (19) *Hydra (20) *Kemular (21) *Telesdon (22) **Re-Telesdon (37) *Underground People (22) *Jamila (23) *Gubila (24) *Gigas (25) *Dorako (25) **Re-Dorako (37) *Gomora (26, 27) *Dada (28) *Goldon (29) *Woo (30) *Keronia (31) *Zambolar (32) *Alien Mefilas (33) *Kemur Man II (33) *Giant Fuji (33) *Skydon (34) *Seabones (35) *Zaragas (36) *Geronimon (37) *Kiyla (38) *Saigo (38) *Zetton (39) *Alien Zetton (39) Arsenal * Beta Capsule * Jet VTOL * Sub-VTOL * S16, S21, S25 * Underground Tank Pelucidar * Science Special Search Party Car * Supergun * Spider-Shot * Mars 133 * QX Gun * Mad Bazooka * Spark 8 * Monster Translator * Science Special Search Party Shuriken * Communicator Pin Episodes Cast * : * : * : * : * : * : * : , * : (1-19), (20-39) Voice actors * : (grunts; 33), (1, 39), (15) * : * : * : * : * : * : (cry), (monster translator) Suit actors * , : Songs ;Opening theme * **Lyrics: Kyoichi Azuma **Composition & Arrangement: Kunio Miyauchi **Artist: Misuzu Jidou Gasshodan, Color Stella ;Insert theme * **Lyrics: Kyoichi Azuma **Composition & Arrangement: Kunio Miyauchi **Artist: Misuzu Jidou Gasshodan, Color Stella * **Lyrics: Kyoichi Azuma **Composition & Arrangement: Kunio Miyauchi **Artist: Misuzu Jidou Gasshodan, Color Stella Home media In 2006, BCI/Eclipse officially released Ultraman on DVD under license from then rightsholder Chaiyo Productions. These releases featured the original Japanese soundtrack and the English dub. When Navarre folded BCI/Eclipse in December 2008, the series was shuffled over to Navarre's other home video label, Mill Creek Entertainment. In June 2009, Mill Creek re-released the complete series set on September 29, 2009, in a 4-disc set with the same special features. In Japan, there have been numerous releases in numerous home video formats over the last 25 years (from VHS to DVD) on several labels, including Bandai's various home video divisions, including Bandai Visual. On April 2013, Tsuburaya held a press conference announcing the new Ultra Series show and character, Ultraman Ginga, where they also announced that the original 1966 show will be given an HD remaster treatment in Japan. On July 2013, Tsuburaya released an HD transfer of Ultraman on Blu-ray titled, Ultraman HD Remaster 2.0, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Tsuburaya Productions. Tsuburaya released the series on three separate box sets, each containing 13 episodes. The first box set was released on July 10, 2013, the second on October 25, 2013 and the final on January 29, 2014. Adaptations Harvey Comics Entertainment published two short comic book series based on Ultraman in 1993 and 1994. Bandai published the video game, PD Ultraman Battle Collection 64, for the Nintendo 64 in 1997. In 2011, a manga adaptation simply titled ULTRAMAN began serialization in 's Monthly Hero's magazine. It serves as a sequel to the television series. Malaysian book ban On March 6, 2014, the announced that it had banned the publication of an Ultraman comic book Ultraman: The Ultra Power "due to contents that were detrimental to public order". Social media users later noticed that a page in the book described the character of Ultraman King (from the film, Ultra Galaxy Legends) as a god, which in the Malaysian pidgin language is the Arabic word "Allah". The Home Ministry later confirmed that the use of "Allah" was indeed the reason for the ban, claiming that the comparison may "confuse Muslim children and damage their faith". This highlighted the larger ban to prevent non-Muslims in Malaysia from using the word "Allah" despite its common usage in the Malaysian pidgin to refer to any "God", as well as a suit from the over its usage. Video games The Monster Empire Strikes Back is a Bandai game based on Ultraman, released on January 29, 1987 for the . Ultraman is a Bandai game based on the series, released in 2004 for . Ultraman Club is a series of games produced by Bandai and lasted from 1987 until 1993. They were released for the and the . Notes *The full title of the show is . *This series is said to take place at some point in the 1990's; this was retconned once. ''The Return of Ultraman was released in 1971, placing the events of the series in the year of its production, 1966. *Originally, the series was intended to last 52 episodes (a Type-D mask for Ultraman was already crafted for said-run). However, Eiji Tsuburaya nixed the idea so that he could concentrate more on developing new and different productions (which was soon revealed to be Ultraseven). The Type-D mask would then go on to be used and slightly modified for the Ultraman Jack costume. Gallery Ultraman_English_Language_Title_Card.jpg|English title card for the US-produced English dub. References External links *[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0060038/ Ultraman] at *Ultraman (character) at Category:Showa